APPS & SITES

My Favorite Party Speaker

I want to recommend the JBL Pulse 2 Speaker. It’s fantastic and I travel with it everywhere… Also be sure to get the firmware update to get the new light mode that has a rainbow equalizer. It’s so cool!

Daily Photo – Beautiful Hobbit Holes

Each time I go to Hobbiton (I think I've been about five times now), I have this grand plan to take photos of each of the 44 Hobbit holes. And then I get out there and get completely distracted by the beauty and end up getting pulled in 10 different directions. I’m such a huge fan of this place… and I’ve been lucky to have “free reign” a few times, getting there early at sunrise before all the tourists arrive. It’s still awesome, even doing the tourist thing, but I was able to spend a bit more extra time to get some key shots I’ve wanted.

Live over Hobbiton

Here’s a live broadcast we did one morning at sunrise over Hobbiton… how lucky and gorgeous! 🙂

Daily Photo – Another Perfect Little Hobbit Hole

This is one of my favorite areas to shoot. You'd think I'd become a little tired of the subject-matter after a while, but I never have! Each little hobbit hole (there are 44 I think?) is perfectly adorned and unique in its own way. Plus, it changes a little with every season. So beautiful!

Trey’s Bag

I’ve recently updated and basically replaced my Camera Bag page here on the site. It lists my three most used bags for different situations!

Daily Photo – Hobbiton From Above

Another perspective on the flour mill in Hobbiton. Everything works on this mill on the outside, but I think the inside is fake. That's okay, eh? I can suspend belief for a bit! But it is nice to watch that little water wheel spin around and around and around. It makes me think I want a mill someday, which is a bizarre thing to want since I don't really like making my own bread.

Trey’s Creative Survival Kit

For those of you coming to our various workshops around the world, I hope you’re enjoying Trey’s Creative Survival Kit. It’s one of the goodies that are included. Be sure to check out our Workshop page to see if we’re coming to a city near you 🙂

Daily Photo – Over the pond in Hobbiton

Here's another drone photo I got while in Hobbiton. I arrived early in the morning and had to get special clearance so I could do some flying. It was worth every second. I've been to Hobbiton about five times and was looking for a new perspective.

Air New Zealand Video

Here’s a behind-the-scenes from Hobbiton! 🙂

Daily Photo – Back to Hobbiton

What an amazing place to return to again and again. Over the years, I've gotten to be pretty good friends with the management there after my first day-long session with Air New Zealand and the owner, Russell. That guy is amazing and his kid could not be more cute, as you can see in the video above. He's the little Hobbit-boy!

A Visit to Wild Earth Wineries

This is a great winery and place to have lunch here on the South Island! One day when I was there, I flew the quad around a bit… Here’s the result! 🙂

Daily Photo – Hobbiton in Evening Light

Jumping from the beautiful South Island to the North Island of New Zealand, we come back to the quaint and too-perfect Hobbiton. I was lucky enough to be there right after they installed all the lights. What could be better than this? Something so scenic and relaxing… and it's all real too. I mean, there are no Hobbits or anything… but all the plants, gardens, working mead tap in the Green Dragon Inn – everything! I want to sleep here all night I think. 🙂

Set Design

I don’t know how these guys come up with the idea and the know-how to actually build this stuff. It’s very impressive! You can see a little bit of that know-how at work in this video, especially with all the gardeners and everyone working to make things look perfect!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8whkMJyO

Daily Photo – The Beginning of Lord of The Rings

Remember this little road from the beginning of the first LOTR when Gandalf was on the cart along with Frodo? What a great scene… it brought back all the memories while walking around here. I can’t believe these places are real!

Another great pub

My favorite one is very near my home in Arrowtown, New Zealand. If you ever go there, be sure to find and enter the “Blue Door.” There’s no sign or anything. You may have to ask around. It’s in a tiny alleyway, and you’ll see, well, a Blue Door.

Daily Photo – Walking to the Green Dragon for a Pint

After a long day of photography, what could be better than a walk across this bridge here in Hobbiton to visit the Green Dragon for a pint of ale? Not much! And it's all real. There are actual giant taps on the wall that pour actual stuff! Even better was having full run of the place while we took photos. But it's actually something anyone can do. It's part of the standard tour and they all end here for Hobbit-drinks and Hobbit-snacks.

14 Cold Nights in Antarctica

Amazing Cloud Names

Do any of you know a good website that has a bunch of photos of clouds and their names? I’m not a big “this-is-called-that” kinda guy, but I would be interested to see, especially if there are little scientific explanations of how particular clouds are formed.

Daily Photo – Streamy, Dreamy Clouds over Hobbiton

I feel like I post too many photos of Hobbiton! But whenever I go to this spot on the north island, I just go a little photo-crazy. How can you not? These are some of my favorite sorts of clouds. I maybe only see them once a month or so? But they make for such a nice texture in the sky, I tend to go a little crazy no matter where I am!

Upcoming PhotoWalks

I’ll work on getting a page up soon that has a list of all the upcoming PhotoWalks… I’m thinking that Hong Kong, London, Berlin, and Venice are on the agenda for early 2015! 🙂

Daily Photo – Entering Hobbiton

You may remember a scene from Lord of the Rings when Gandalf is riding into Hobbiton in the beginning of the movie. He goes right down this little amazing rock-lined lane. It's still here, and even more magical than in the movies. This is one of many ways into visiting the 44 Hobbit holes!